…From a Canadian Perspective

Hello everyone, hope you had a great summer! It is hard to believe it is that time of year again, the time when we start thinking about the next payroll year (2016). In Canada our preparations are a bit different from the U.S. In this article I would like to share with you how we at Alberta Motor Association (AMA) get ready for our new payroll year.

While the Vista application allows for the forecasting and setup of calendars way into the future, in my working files I always prepare two years out. I like knowing when our pay processing weeks will overlap with the stat holidays, and I found that being prepared for future years always comes in handy when I am asked to approve time off requests, project timelines, conference schedules and audits, that go beyond our current payroll year.

The following is a list of PDS Vista calendars that will need to be updated for the new payroll year: Pay Period, Canadian Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS), Daily Schedules, Statutory Holidays, and if your organization has a pension plan the Pension Monthly and Annual calendars.

Before you begin, get a copy of the 2016 calendar, which is a leap year, with both the federal and provincial stat (statutory) holidays indicated; confirm your provincial stat dates are correct.

All Vista calendar updates are completed within the “Time Management” application, under Setup Tables.

Congratulations! By following these instructions, you have just set up your 2016 payroll calendars PDS style! I wish you all a great and exciting 2016 payroll year.

Denyse Sheppard, CPM
Payroll Manager
AMA
Denyse.Sheppard@ama.ab.ca